Cuomo Says He Won’t Resign as Some LI Democrats Want Him to Step Aside

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said Friday he would not resign and insisted that a review of his conduct be completed.

The governor is facing multiple accusations of sexual harassment  and misconduct, complaints that are being investigated by State Attorney General Leticia James.

“I did not do what has been alleged, period,” Cuomo says. “I am not going to resign.”

“What is being alleged simply did not happen,” he said. He said he plans to focus on preparing the state budget, due in two weeks and continuing to ramp up Covid-19 vaccinations.

“I won’t speculate about people’s possible motives, but I can tell you, as a former attorney general who has gone through this situation many times, there are often many motivations for making an allegation,” Cuomo said.

“There are facts and then there are opinions,” he said, which is similar to what he has said throughout the Covid-19 epidemic. “Politicians who don’t know a single fact are in my opinion reckless and dangerous.”

He made the statement as Long Island Democratic state senators, including State Sen. Jim Gaughran, said Friday he should step aside while the James investigation proceeds. The Democratic majority statement came shortly after several Democratic members of Congress  said he should resign.

“The gravity of these claims makes it clear to us that the Governor cannot lead the state while faithfully responding to multiple investigations. This is especially true in light of the impending state budget deadline, the need to continue guiding the state through the pandemic, and the fragility of the state’s economic recovery,” the Long Island Democrats said.

Earlier this week, Republicans, including Assemblyman Keith Brown of Northport, signed on to a resolution to remove the governor through impeachment.

“I took an oath to uphold and defend the Constitutions of both the United States and the State of New York and do not take this lightly ,” Brown said. “This is serious, not since Governor William Sulzer was impeached in 1913 has our state been faced with a situation like this. When the Governor exhibits the level of “willful and corrupt misconduct” that Governor Cuomo has, we are left no choice. This resolution is our attempt to come together to hold him accountable for his actions and give our state a chance to move forward while we search for answers.”

This story will update.

 

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